Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Royal Oak, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,607 a month against $2,704 in Royal Oak, MI, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Royal Oak, MI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Royal Oak, MI
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Royal Oak, MI Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Royal Oak, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Royal Oak, MI

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Royal Oak, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $2,704 in Royal Oak, MI.

Austin, TX $2,607
Royal Oak, MI $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $4,137 in Royal Oak, MI.

Austin, TX $4,031
Royal Oak, MI $4,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $5,570 in Royal Oak, MI.

Austin, TX $5,454
Royal Oak, MI $5,570

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 4% less than in Royal Oak, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Royal Oak, MI 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$18.19 $18.19

11.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$64.2 $64.2

32.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$12.06 $12.06

0.50%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$5.77 $5.77

-2.08%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.59 $2.59

42.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.02 $2.02

16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$6.17 $6.17

27.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$7.92 $7.92

11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.05 $1.05

8.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.23 $3.23

14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$5.50 $5.50

-39.82%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$3.94 $3.94

5.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$13.55 $13.55

-4.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$11.20 $11.20

23.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$16.38 $16.38

-0.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.90 $4.90

-4.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.55 $1.55

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.99 $3.99

28.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$4.87 $4.87

-7.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.81 $2.81

9.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.18 $3.18

-25.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.27 $2.27

-20.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.19 $2.19

1.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$10.14 $10.14

-1.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$15.23 $15.23

-1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.45 $2.45

18.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.41 $3.41

-2.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.56 $2.56

-52.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$69.3 $69.3

-41.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.82 $2.82

-1.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.53 $1.53

7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$23.79 $23.79

48.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.08 $1.08

-12.04%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.2K $34.2K

$34.7K $34.7K

-1.31%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.1K $26.1K

2.72%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$223 $223

$218 $218

2.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.5 $58.5

$65.6 $65.6

-10.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$70.0 $70.0

1.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$11.99 $11.99

17.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$1,015 $1,015

43.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$18.3K $18.3K

16.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$59.2 $59.2

-11.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$38.71 $38.71

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$97.2 $97.2

-11.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$118 $118

-11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,512 $1,512

39.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$1,379 $1,379

-10.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$3,523 $3,523

9.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$2,739 $2,739

-12.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$5,841 $5,841

-11.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.49

5.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Royal Oak, MI: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Royal Oak, MI

$1.4K 51% 12.1% $149

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Royal Oak, MI

$400 14.8% 2.3% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Royal Oak, MI

$353 13.1% 0.2% $0.8

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Royal Oak, MI

$316 11.7% 9.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Royal Oak, MI

$141 5.2% 9.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Royal Oak, MI

$24 * 0.9% 70.5% $57

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Royal Oak, MI

$90 3.3% 59.4% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $1,512 in Royal Oak, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Royal Oak, MI pays 13% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $64 in Royal Oak, MI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $400 per month, with Royal Oak, MI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Royal Oak, MI

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

58,211

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Royal Oak, MI 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Royal Oak, MI

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Royal Oak, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Royal Oak, MI. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Austin, TX. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,512 in Royal Oak, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $1,015 in Royal Oak, MI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Royal Oak, MI – a meal for two runs $64 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Austin, TX wins on affordability, Royal Oak, MI on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.